Jack Valenti, who led the MPAA for decades and developed the modern film rating system, died yesterday at age 85. Much as some still loathe it, that system, introduced in the late 1960s, was an improvement over government ratings boards, who were often much more heavy-handed in their censorship than even the film industry in its most conservative moments. But beyond that, Valenti served as a lobbyist and leader for the American film industry as a whole. (Associated Press)
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